Hare Krishna singing and dancing, Union Square Friday night lights.
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New Jersey Car Parks
Silver linings almost everywhere! Views from hotel rooms over looking car parks in the deep south of New Jersey where I have recently been spending time. Not much more to say really . . . . Have a great week-end everyone!
Family, A Force of Nature
As many photographs as it is possible to take with a digital camera, I am always more than a little
flummoxed at times as to how many to show in a post. Sometimes the narrative sets the tone with a
series of photos telling something of a story. Or so it is hoped.
And just when I think I have a narrative in development - this was going to be all about the fabulous
"HAIR" out there on the streets, I stumbled upon this recent shot which could have qualified as a hair
shot, maybe, but then I thought these dudes are far more than the sum of their hair. (Aren't we all?)
But here's the thing about this shot. I don't have a vivid memory of taking it . . . it sits quietly
between two bursts of street performances, those squeaky doors which get all the attention and which
most likely will stay in the dark of the hard drive.
I could go on and on about taking the hand that reaches out, that we are all a part of the collective
force of nature that is family and friends . . . but I won't!
We can Carpe Diem all we want but sometimes it is a moment which seizes us, only to disappear in the
fine star-dust of distant memory.
In which case, how many photos are too many photos?
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High Bound Muscle
Always, there is something in the air down at Union Square and never more so than when nimble
limbed bodies are throwing themselves around down there, up there.
This is the un-cropped view from my seat on the steps. I try, most of the time, to take shots
from a fixed point, to catch moments happening around me.
By virtue of simply passing through anywhere, we are all of us on the edge of a frame at some time
or other. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to hit the top of the frame!
Rockaway, Six Months After Sandy
The middle of a grey May day out in Rockaway . . . . . . . . . .
Kicking Back . . .
So many people come to New York City with exhausting lists of things to do, places to see, shows to catch. Restaurants, diners, cafes and bars to eat and drink at. Museums, galleries and exhibitions around town that absolutely must be seen. Then of course there's the shopping . . . my move to NY sparked off many comments of expressed envy at the phantasmagoria of shopping opportunities ahead of me in this fabulous city. Sad to say however, I am not a great shopper. My number one recommendation for what to do here in NYC? Give yourself a break and do absolutely NOTHING! Stop..... Relax..... Sit down and kick back! New York City is blessed with green spaces and park benches, ring side seats at one of the best shows in town - not only watching the world go by but becoming part of that world, part of the never-ending tableaux putting meat on the bones of the city streets. Regular readers know by now of my love affair with Union Square which I visited for the first time, on my first visit to NYC, in October 2001, when the city was still so raw from the events of 9/11. Crowds had gathered in candlelight vigils and as eerily quiet as the surrounding streets were, one felt here the pulse of the city, still beating with a sense of passion and care. A safe place in an unknown world. A place I have come to know where stories and anecdotes fall like leaves from an autumnal tree, where the traumas and joys of life, love and the universe are tossed and discussed in bonds of friendship. A place in the world which feels like . . . home. Have a wonderful week-end everyone! UPDATE: My grateful thanks to the wonderful Justin Vivian Bond for gracious confirmation at having been caught unawares in the spring sunshine of Union Square! After all this talk of doing nothing I highly recommend hightailing it to any one of V's shows, details available on the link above! I still get goosebumps when I think of the heartbreak performance that was Jukebox Jackie at La MaMa . . .
Street Love
Known only by his street name but known to the many in the street families in and around NYC. All have their stories to tell. Union Square. * * * * *
Brilliant Colour
Torn between the shadows and light of black and white or the brilliance of colour . . . either way, her beauty turned more than a few heads in the recent spring sunshine of Union Square. * * * * *
Morning in the Canyons
Some early morning quiet in the sunshine of a Manhattan morning. Before the crowds . . . * * * * *
Off Broadway, with Matthew Silver!
I guess you had to be there . . . . Any performance from the great Matthew Silver is beyond my translation, but, give him the time of day and he will give you a good time - although I have to admit, I am a coward and prefer to keep my distance from his inter-active improv. I would be too dumbstruck with awe!
